


Why a Violin?

by RastafarianTargaryen



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire & Related Fandoms, A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Blind Date, First Dates, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-31
Updated: 2015-05-31
Packaged: 2018-04-02 01:38:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,123
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4040704
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RastafarianTargaryen/pseuds/RastafarianTargaryen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sansa sets Renly up on a blind date with her friend’s brother Loras. Neither of them is really into romance (or the violin player), but they go anyway.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Why a Violin?

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is borderline Teen/Mature towards the end so I erred on the side of caution in rating this fic. Hope you enjoy!

            “You know I hate blind dates!” Renly told his friend Sansa. She had been trying to convince him for the past half hour to go on this date.

            “Well he’s Margaery’s brother so he’s cute at least.”

            Renly teased. “Oh  _Margaery’s_  brother. And how is  _Margaery_  doing?”

            Sansa’s cheeks reddened at the implication. “You know we’re only friends.”

            “Right, and I’m  _only_  friends with the guys I screw.”

            Sansa ignored him and kept on, “You’re misdirecting. I think you would like Loras, and Margaery thinks he would like you, too.”

            “This isn’t because we’re the only two gay guys you know?”

            Sansa merely blinked in reply before gathering the strength to say, “It’s not like that. I really think you would have fun. Please?”

            Renly rolled his eyes then settled on, “Fine. If it makes you happy.”

            Before he could finish, Sansa threw her arms around him and jumped for joy. “Oh good!”

            “But—,” he insisted. “If you don’t ask Margaery out soon, I will ask her for you myself.”

            Sansa’s ears turned pink and she hit Renly lightly on the shoulder. “Shut up.”

~

            “Really, Marg? A blind date? What, you think I can’t get enough guys on my own?” He flashed a winning smile as if to demonstrate his point.

            Margaery gave him an unamused look, “Always so modest, Loras.”

            “That’s me. Modest Mouse.”

            “That’s a band.”

            “Is it one of the bands  _Sansa_  likes?” he raised an eyebrow.

            “This is not about Sansa. This is about you doing me a favor.” Loras inclined his head towards her at that. She had him hook, line, and sinker. All she had to do was reel him in. “Think of it as me owing you a favor down the line.” That would do it.

            He sighed exaggeratedly. “What’s this Renly guy like anyway?”

            She listed off, “The usual. I hear he’s gorgeous. Witty. Charming.”

            “That’s what every guy says about himself.” He shrugged dismissively. “I guess I’ll just have to see if it’s true.”

            Margaery smiled a sly smile as she pulled him in for a hug.

            “But remember,” he whispered in her ear. “You owe me one.”

~

            Renly got dressed up, unsure of where he was going. Sansa had only given him the name of the restaurant (the Sunspear, some Mediterranean restaurant), the time (7:00 PM), and who to be on the lookout for (a blonde with a red rose pinned to his lapel). This was going to be cheesy as hell. When he walked through the door, he knew immediately that his dress shirt and jeans weren’t going to cut it. The place had a violin player for gods’ sake. He contemplated going home to change, but by then he would be late and the guy would think Renly stood him up. He was still fifteen minutes early, early enough to get a drink in the bar while he was waiting.

            The hostess cut in sharply, “Waiting for someone?” She noticed him staring at the front door. He noticed that her nametag read “Ellaria.”

            “Yes,” he spoke shyly. “I’m waiting for a date.”

            Her face lightened up at that. “In that case, I can let you sit in the main area and wait.”

            “Sure. All I know is that he has blonde hair and a red rose.”

            She nodded in understanding. “A blind date.”

            Renly nodded wordlessly back.

            “I hope it goes well.” And with that Ellaria led Renly to a table.

~

            Loras couldn’t decide what to wear. Margaery hadn’t told him where he was going, just that it was some nice place downtown. He got lost twice on the way and vowed to exorcise his GPS after this date was over.

~

            Twenty minutes of door watching later, a blonde walked in. He ruffled his golden curls when he walked up to the desk. Ellaria pointed in Renly’s direction, and Renly assumed this must be Loras Tyrell. They locked eyes; Renly had to look away at the deep focused stare Loras was giving.

            Renly stood to meet Loras. “Didn’t get the memo either?”

            “Hmm?” Loras scratched his head again, running a hand through his curls.

            Renly stuttered, “A-about the dress code.”

            Loras relaxed slightly and managed a chuckle. “Guess not. Shall we?” He extended his hand to the table, and both men sat down.

            Renly flashed Loras his most charming smile and was pleased when it made the guy run his hand through his curls. The flower was clearly Sansa’s idea, hopeless romantic that she was, and would have succeeded in looking ridiculous on anyone but this golden haired Adonis in front of him. Somehow he had the right look to pull it off, despite how he kept nervously playing with his hair. Renly felt a little bit bad that he seemed so ill at ease. He liked to think that he made Loras nervous and not the shady circumstances of the date.

            “So…,” Renly trailed off and stared off at some point over Loras’s left shoulder. The violin player was arranging the sheet music on his stand.

            “You’re Sansa’s friend.” Loras snapped him back to attention.

            Renly nodded curtly. “You’re Margaery’s brother.”

            “Yep.”

            They sat in silence while a passing waiter poured them both water. “I am Oberyn, your waiter.” His eyes drifted from Loras’s rose to Renly’s grimace and concluded, “First date?”

            Loras and Renly nodded, not daring to look at each other.

            “Trystane!” Oberyn snapped his fingers and the violin player hurried over and began to play for them. Oberyn took their dinner order over the violin, leaving them behind with Trystane.

            “You don’t have to stay,” Renly said to the violin player. Although it would have been an amusing distraction, people were supposed to, you know,  _talk_  on first dates. He and Loras hadn’t succeeded on that front, but it was still early.

            Trystane nodded and continued to roam around the restaurant, playing for various contented patrons.  

            Loras shook his head, his curls bouncing with the movement. “A violin player.” He laughed in spite of himself. “A violin player?”

            “Of course Sansa picked the place with the violin player.”

            “This was her choice?”

            Renly nodded.

            “Could have picked somewhere without a dress code.”

            Renly stared at Loras’s rose and pointed, “Was that Margaery’s choice?”

            He glared at Renly for a second then laughed out loud. Renly joined in. A few patrons stared at the two of them disapprovingly. That just made them laugh louder. Trystane the violin player now turned to shush them.

            “Sorry, Trystane!” Loras deliberately shouted over the music.

            Renly rolled his eyes. “Shh you’re going to get us into trouble,” his tone was light with amusement. The tension between them had long since broken, thanks in large part to the violin playing around the hall.  

~

            “—and then our parents see the wrapping paper all over the floor and the look on Margaery’s face. She thought all the presents were for her and opened them all up right before the family Christmas party. They had to explain to my all my cousins and my grandmother why none of their Christmas gifts were wrapped.”

            Renly laughed uproariously, garnering more stares from the diners. It had been like that all night, and he was surprised that they hadn’t been kicked out of the restaurant yet. Regaining his composure he added, “Your grandmother sounds charming.”

            “That’s one way of putting it. I think she was secretly pleased about the whole thing.” The two were staring contentedly at each other when Oberyn brought over the dessert, tiramisu. When he left, Loras continued. “I’m really glad my sister and your friend brought us together.”

            Renly didn’t miss the way the gold flecks of Loras’s irises shined when he said that. He replied in what he hoped was a matter-of-fact tone, “Me too. You’re really close to Margaery, then.”

            “Yeah, we’re each other’s best friends.” He swallowed, “that was why I agreed to come here tonight. She was really insistent on this date.” He wasn’t quite meeting Renly’s eyes. He didn’t strike Renly as particularly shy, from the stories he told, but here he was shrinking a little in front of him whenever the topic got remotely serious.  
            “Sansa practically got down on her knees,” he chuckled.

            Loras leaned in conspiratorially, “Are they cute or what?”

            Frankly, Renly thought Loras, who smelled like roses, was the cute one, but he said, “Oh I know. I tease her about your sister all the time. It’s them who should be on this date, not us.”

            Loras clucked his tongue, looking for Trystane. Trystane glanced over at the table and glared at them. Renly and Loras had interrupted his playing all evening, usually with the staccato beats of their laughter or giggles. Loras smirked back at Renly. “I hate the whole stereotypical straight people date in a fancy restaurant thing.”

            “Me too. I think we need to make them suffer through this place. Sansa would love it.” Renly shook his head, disappointed in his best friend’s taste in romance.

            The moment they finished the tiramisu, Oberyn practically materialized at their table with the bill, a stern look on his face. Renly figured they had tortured Oberyn enough and reached for his wallet.

            Loras objected, placing his hand over Renly’s wallet-ed one. “No. We go Dutch.”

            Renly complied. The moment he placed the bill at the edge of the table, Oberyn snatched it up. A minute later, he nodded curtly at them. “Good evening, gentlemen.”

            They took that as their cue to leave and got up. Once they were outside the restaurant, and out of sight of the staff who had grown to dislike their patronage, Loras said, “We should do this again.” His expression was light without a modicum of amusement or sarcasm.

            Renly gave him a skeptical look.

            “Okay well, not this,” Loras pointed at the front door. “But something else.” He realized that he had been following Renly to his car the whole time. “Oh sorry. I should probably go.”

            Renly seized his chance and attacked Loras’s mouth with his own. The blonde tasted of tiramisu and smelled of roses, and it was utterly intoxicating. Renly tilted his head to one side, his hand gripping Loras’s neck insistently. Loras followed suit, tangling his hands in Renly’s hair instead of his own this time. He pushed Renly against his own car, pinning him there with his knee. Renly gave a whimpering sound and fumbled around for something in his pocket. With the push of a button his car unlocked, and he opened the backseat door. Loras fell inside and shut the door behind them.

            They broke apart for a moment, both breathing with some effort. Renly dared meet Loras’s eyes in the dark, waiting for something. Not getting it he asked in a hoarse voice, “You sure?”

            Loras responded by taking off his shirt and reaching for his belt. Renly helped him before undoing his own. Their kissing was more passionate, more deliberate now that they had both consented. Loras lowered his mouth down Renly’s torso, paying extra attention to a nipple. Renly gasped, closing his eyes in contentment. Loras’s curls tickled his chest and Renly couldn’t help but giggle.

            Loras stopped what he was doing and looked up. “What?”

            Renly blushed and merely said, “I’m ticklish.” He didn’t like the wicked grin Loras wore now.

            “Like this?” Loras tickled his sides.

            Renly laughed an uninhibited laugh. He loved the feeling of Loras on top of him, teasing him and making him smile. There was something special about the way he said his name, the way his curls bounced all around, the way he kissed. Renly reached up and tickled him back, the two of them getting lost in the silly moment, their earlier intentions discarded as quickly as they materialized.

            “I should probably go home,” Renly said through ragged breaths.

            Loras smirked, breathing rapidly as well from the aftermath of the tickle fight. “Okay.” He paused, looking conflicted for a moment before declaring, “We  _will_  do this again though.”

            “Oh of course.” Renly leaned up to kiss Loras. “Here, let me help you.” He grabbed Loras’s shirt from the floor where it had fallen.

            Once dressed, they both got out of the backseat and collected themselves.

            Loras grinned. “Consider all this,” he gestured to the car, “as a preview for next time. I’ll get your number from Margaery.”

            The two stared at each other for a while, not wanting to part. Just as Renly was about to turn around for the driver’s side, Loras kissed him tenderly on the cheek. “I’ll see you around.” With that, Loras walked back to his car, leaving Renly breathless. He squealed with delight internally. Apparently, cheesy romantic restaurants with violin players were his thing after all.


End file.
